Ignacio de los Rios Carmenado

Ignacio de los Rios Carmenado is a Full Professor for Engineering Projects at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), specifically within the School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering (ETSIAAB). He serves as Director of the GESPLAN Research Group focused on 'Planning and Sustainable Management of Rural-Local Development Projects' since 2017. His academic career at UPM spans multiple roles including University Professor in the Department of Agroforestry Engineering since 2002 and Principal Investigator of his research group since 2005.

Professor Carmenado's research spans sustainable rural development, project management, and food security. He has developed and promoted the 'Working With People' (WWP) model, which integrates technical-entrepreneurial, ethical-social, and political-contextual dimensions for rural development projects planning and management. His work emphasizes stakeholder involvement, sustainable regional management based on ecology, capacity development, and rural empowerment. His research frequently addresses responsible investment in agriculture, land governance, and value chain development in rural contexts across Latin America, particularly in Peru and Chile.

His publication record shows a clear trend toward integrating project management methodologies with sustainable rural development approaches. The emergence of his 'Working With People' model represents a significant contribution to moving beyond traditional top-down development approaches to more participatory, community-centered planning. His recent work increasingly focuses on resilience, food security, and the application of responsible investment principles in agricultural contexts.

• José Cascón Award for best doctoral thesis (1996)
• Certified Project Manager (PDP) by International Project Management Association (IPMA)

As Director of the GESPLAN Research Group, Professor Carmenado leads multiple research projects focused on sustainable rural development planning and management. His approach emphasizes university-society relationships and practical applications of research through service-learning projects. The GESPLAN group has established partnerships with universities across Latin America to promote responsible investment in agriculture principles and sustainable land governance.

His research group works extensively with rural communities, focusing on capacity development and empowerment through practical project management training. The group's laboratory is essentially the rural communities themselves, where theoretical frameworks are tested and adapted through direct engagement with local stakeholders and development challenges.